The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine having a plurality of banks such as a V-type engine and a horizontally opposed engine and variable valve operating mechanisms disposed at the respective banks for controlling the opening and closing timings of intake valves, and more particularly to a valve timing correction control apparatus and method for correcting a difference in valve-lift characteristics between the variable valve operating mechanisms disposed at the respective banks.
Various variable valve operating mechanisms capable of attaining valve lift characteristics suited to engine operating conditions have heretofore been proposed. For example, a variable valve operating mechanism constituted by combining a lift and operation angle varying mechanism capable of varying a lift and operation angle of an intake valve continuously with a phase varying mechanism capable of varying a maximum lift phase of an intake valve is disclosed in Japanese Patent provisional publication No. 2001-280167 that is assigned to the same assignee of this application.
Also disclosed in Japanese Patent provisional publication No. 8-338209 is a valve operating mechanism for a V-type engine having two banks, wherein for the purpose of compensating for a difference in the valve timing between the banks due to loosening of a single timing belt for driving intake and exhaust valves of the both banks, the phase of a camshaft at one bank is varied beforehand by an angle corresponding to the difference of the valve timing due to the loosening of the timing belt.